


From a dare to my hands in your hair

by Iloveyou_3000



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Cinnamon Role Poe, Domestic Rey, Domestic Reylo, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Maz's Cantina, Modern AU, Multi, Musicians, Protective Finn, but he's a sweetheart, definitely the responsible thing, domestic ben, drunk poe, gotta love doing shots, right before a performance, shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23478166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iloveyou_3000/pseuds/Iloveyou_3000
Summary: Two-shotShe regretted accepting the dare.One semester away from graduating college with a major in mechanical engineering, Rey was never one to participate in games as childish as truth or dare, not having the patience or the will for games like those.However, being drunk always tends to change a few things. She had accepted the dare, and now was the time to follow through.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Huuuuge thank you to my long time Beta Stardust_mage, girl I owe you a lot, and maie_373, love you both so much and I hate not being able to see you guys IRL.  
> Hope you guys enjoy

She regretted accepting the dare.

One semester away from graduating college with a major in mechanical engineering, Rey was never one to participate in games as childish as truth or dare, not having the patience or the will for games like those.

However, being drunk always tends to change a few things. She had accepted the dare, and now was the time to follow through. 

_One song,_ she thought, _that’s all I have to do._ Why, out of any dare she could have been given, did it have to be this one? Hands shaking ever-so-slightly, Rey shook herself out of her thoughts.

Slowly, she closed up the auto-repair shop, Niima Outpost. Turning the key, Rey thought back to the last time she had performed live, several months ago.

_She finished the last note of the song, her voice strong as ever as she listened to the sound echo around the now-silent bar, lost in the music. She was brought back to reality by bright lights, applause and cheers, all which were directed at her. Rey smiled, cheeks tinged pink, as she slunk off the stage, her throat desperately craving a break._

And some water _she thought. Sitting down after gently packing her cello and bow away, Rey grabbed the bottle the bartender had kindly left out for her in her booth and ripped the cap off, downing half of the contents in one go._

_After a few moments of peacefulness, Rey felt a presence hovering over her. Looking up, she saw an older gentleman with a deep scar running down his withering face. He offered her a sly smile, false kindness in his eyes._

_“That was… quite a performance, Ms…” he drawled, trailing off deliberately, not knowing her name even though she introduced herself at the beginning of her performance._

_“Rey. Just Rey”._

_“Rey, then. You certainly have quite a talent.” He paused again, manoeuvring so he was sitting opposite her in the little booth, hands clasped on the table. “My name is Ondska Snoke, I run the First Order Music Industries, we’re a large record label, I’m sure you’ve heard of us.”_

_Of course, she had._

_First Order Music Industries, better known as The First Order, was the biggest music producers in America. They created Kylo Ren, the elusive music sensation whose face was hidden from the world. Rey had no idea anyone could_ not _have heard of them. Still, she nodded, playing along to whatever game he was playing._

_“Anyways, I have a few scouts looking out for up-and-coming artists, like yourself, to sign on as new employees. And I think you have what it takes.” His smile grew, almost menacingly, dragging his gruesome disfigurement on his face with it._

_“I’ve had my lawyers draw up a contract that you can sign now.” As if it was rehearsed, a ginger-haired twig of a man slid into the booth next to Snoke, producing a contract and placing it in front of Rey. She could tell from the moment she looked at the man that he was up to something, and the contract in front of her simply proved her suspicions. Before she could even start to suggest contacting them at a later date after she looked over the contract, the lawyer, who she dubbed ginger-baby in her head, opened his obnoxious mouth._

_“You are required to sign now, as Mr Snoke is a very busy man. This has taken up enough time as it is. If you wish, we can dispute minor changes at a later date.” Rey drew her brows together in a frown, taken back by the man's obtrusiveness. Snoke smirked at this statement before taking over, her hesitancy not to his liking._

_“Trust me when I say you will_ not _get another offer like this. I do understand that this may be quite overwhelming. I’ll give you the night to consider it” He spoke as though he had just granted Rey a prodigious favour._

_They left as swiftly as they had when they entered, leaving Rey dumbfounded with a stack of papers, in their wake._

_Arriving home she excitedly started reading through the contract. It was the first offer she had ever received, an opportunity to pursue a career in music, something she had only dared to dream of. Even if it came from the hands of someone who didn’t ooze friendliness, Rey was overjoyed that a professional, from the First Order at that, had seen potential in her ability. But as she delved deeper into the contract, her excitement soon dwindled._

_It was riddled with rules and regulations, on both her public_ and _private image and lifestyle. If that wasn’t already bad enough, Rey found a clause that stated she had to leave college immediately if she wished to sign with them. She wasn’t willing to give up on her freedom or college education. Both were the rewards of agonizing amounts of hard work which came with the sacrifice of innumerable hours of lost sleep._

_Rey was glad, in away. It made her decision easy. She emailed the address written on the card attached to the overbearing contract stating her decision to decline the offer to join The First Order. The response she received ten minutes later made chills run down her spine._

Rey,

This is most disappointing, I would have thought you knew better. 

_She didn’t know why, perhaps it was just the way he approached her in the bar the night before, but she had an idea that this Snoke character was not one to take rejection lightly. He didn’t even sign the email._

_Nonetheless, Rey didn’t think much of it._

_Until the song was released._

_It was playing while she and Finn were cooking dinner together, celebrating a year of being roommates, when he commented that it sounded really similar to a song she wrote a while back._

_They replayed it again an hour later when suddenly it hit Rey._ That bitch stole my song.

_It slowly dawned on her why Snoke wanted to sign her a month ago._

That piece of trash just wanted to use my song, she _thought,_ then, when I rejected him, he went and stole it anyway.

_Rey contacted Snoke immediately, demanding that the song either be removed from Kylo’s collection or credit be given to her for it._

_He responded with two different legal documents. One showed his right to the song, as she had not placed it under copyright, and the other threatened to sue her for an amount of money that had Rey’s eyes watering if she were to ever play the song in public again._

_She told Finn through poorly concealed tears what happened as soon as she slammed the old laptop shut._

_Rey knew he was worried but he was too afraid to intervene, so he watched as she lost her self-confidence and motivation in anything to do with music and public performances shortly after. He didn’t know the effect of having that song stolen from her. It was an emotional piece, one of her favourites, that took her months to construct._

_Music became something that stayed within the walls of their apartment, as Rey became too afraid to perform outside, petrified that someone would rip another one of her songs right beneath her feet, tearing a piece of her soul out with it._

Rey blinked back a sudden rush of tears as she turned the lock for the store, roughly shoving them back into her pockets, huddling into the warmth of her sweater as she walked towards the bus-stop, lugging her cello behind her, nerves about her first performance in months buzzing around her like bees.

Before she could reach the shelter, her phone started blaring Degenerates by A Day To Remember. Stopping to fumble around her bag, she pulled out the device and swiped the accept button.

“Finn?” She asked into the receiver.

“Not quite, it’s Poe.”

“Poe?” Poe was Finn’s new boyfriend who she had the pleasure of meeting two nights ago. He was the reason she was performing tonight. “Why do you have Finn’s phone?”

“He left it at my place accidentally.”

“So you thought you’d look through it?” Her voice held an accusatory edge to it.

“No no, not at all. Well, I did change his contact photo for me, and _maybe_ his background, but that’s it, I swear. I just thought I’d give you a call, make sure you’re not chickening out.” She sighed into the phone. Of _course,_ he was calling about that.

“No, I’m not chickening out.”

“Good.”

There was a long period of silence, broken by an intake of breath from Poe.

“Do… do you need a lift?''Declination at the tips of her tongue, Rey watched as the bus she was meant to catch sped past her. Internally cursing her ill-luck, she agreed to get a ride to the bar from Poe. Giving him the address of the shop before hanging up, she made herself comfortable on the sidewalk before letting her head fall into her hands, nerves coursing her veins.

Rey let her thoughts wander, an attempt to distract herself from the bundle of panic that was starting to make itself home in her chest, gradually constricting her lungs as each second passed. 

Thankfully, Poe lived in the area and arrived within ten minutes, so Rey didn’t have to entertain herself for long.

She gave him a grateful smile as she gently hauled her cello-case into the back row of his black and orange ute, a colour combination she did not understand, before climbing into the front seat and clipping the belt in.

Five minutes into the drive and still the silence was yet to be broken. Closing her eyes, taking a deep breath of air into her lungs, Rey mentally prepared herself to ask Poe what she had been meaning to ever since they had met.

“You won’t hurt Finn, right?” Her precariousness was somewhat deliberate, wanting to lure Poe into a false sense of security before drilling him. 

Without taking his eyes off the road, he responded full-heartedly.

“Of course I won’t. Granted, we’ve only been dating for two months, but I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. I really do like him.”

Satisfied with his answer, Rey jumped straight to her real question, a grin on her face, hesitancy long gone.

“Are you using protection?” 

Poe spluttered, his hands on the wheel tightening as a blush crept up to his face. She pretended to not notice.

“Because safe sex is really something that should be practised. Did you know that over -”

“Yes, yes! We use protection.” Rey didn’t think his eyes could get any bigger then they were now. He kept switching from looking at her and then the road, embarrassment littered around his face. “Do you ask everyone that?”

She only laughed in response. _I like him,_ she thought.

They arrived at the pub, _Maz’s Castle_ , just after nine. 

Rey walked through the door, sceptical of the place, never having been here herself. Poe had recommended the place right after he dared her to perform. It was nice, she had to admit. It was a decent size, the floor was littered with tables and people, with a row of booths off to the left. Opposite there was the bar that spanned nearly the whole room, curving around just before the stage.

The stage was what captivated Rey the most. It was beautiful. Raised slightly above the ground, two spotlights trained perfectly on the microphone that stood in the centre. It enabled the whole bar to view the stage without it taking away from the numerous decorations and banners that filtered throughout the homey pub.

“Rey!” Hearing her name made her jump back to reality, haven gotten swept up in the bar. 

“Finn.” She smiled. She walked over to where he sat, Poe, following. When they finally made it, Poe and Finn kissed for far longer than what’s publicly acceptable, so Rey whacked them both on the head.

“Get a room, would you?” Poe blushed, still not quite used to her blunt personality, whereas Finn just rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.

“Loosen up Rey.” He joked, before taking on a more serious tone, looking down at her with concern. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” His eyes filtered to her cello case that she sat beside her.

“Of course I am. Completely ready. To get up, in front of all these people. And sing. A song that I wrote. After not performing. For months.” Her voice got breathier as she continued. “Totally up to this. One-hundred per cent.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


” She grabbed a glass filled with clear liquid from the tray the serving girl was bringing around and downed it without a second thought. And then another. Then one more, just for luck.

“Woah Rey, slow down! Don’t get shitfaced before a performance, that’s a _big_ no-no!”

“Shut up, Finn.” She retorted, finishing the third glass before smiling at him. Poe just grinned at the two before looking at his watch.

“You go on in half an hour, no sooner or later. Maz likes it when things are on schedule, says it helps keep her head straight.”

Rey turned her attention to the group currently occupying the stage. It was a small jazz band. They were clearly familiar with the way things worked between them. Just watching their well-oiled performance made her even more nervous. 

She then receded into her own head with her thoughts going in all sorts of directions. 

_What if I fuck up? What if I play out of tune? What if they all hate me? What if Snoke was right? What if -_

“-ey? _Reeeeey_?” Finn’s voice broke her out of her spiral. She fought to control her heart that felt like it was beating out of her chest.

She responded after a few moments.

“What?” Her voice held a lot more uncertainty than she was normally comfortable with.

“You just… stopped. We -” he gestured between him and Poe, “- we’re starting to get worried.”

“Yeah,” Poe slurred. “Are you sure you’re up for… for this?”

She wanted to say no, she couldn’t do it. That would be the sensible thing to do in this situation. Back out of this whole mess, confront it when she was ready. But those drinks had worked their way into her head, which is the reason she said what she said.

“Fuck yes. Let’s do this.”

She stood up, a woman on a mission, self-doubt shoved to the outermost corner of her mind that housed her parent’s abandonment and every other dark secret and thought she kept. She grabbed her cello and marched up to the stage, Poe’s cry of _it’s not your turn yet Rey_ falling on deaf ears.

Grabbing another shot and throwing it back, she barged her way onto the stage, tipsily glaring at the boy who looked at her bemusedly from the bar.

Setting herself up with a chair, she pulled out her bow and cello, doing a quick tune-up before taking in a shaky breath

“Hi. I’m Rey, and this is my song.”

***

To say Ben was having a shitty day would be the understatement of the century. Even calling it the fucked-up-piece-of-shit-day-that-even-satan-himself-would-cower-from barely gave it justice.

So if, after said fucked-up-piece-of-shit-day-that-even-satan-himself-would-cower-from, one would assume it would be reasonable for him to want a quiet night to himself, the only company being a glass of whiskey.

So far, all was going according to plan. He got out of his unremarkable car and stepped into the bar he hadn’t had the courage to venture into in the past five years.

He took a seat at the bar, legs barely fitting under the bench, before flagging what looked to be a new bartender and ordering a scotch. Receiving his drink, he hunched over and prepared for a night of self-wallowing during what should have been a joyous occasion.

An hour flew by quickly. There were various entertainers, however, none of them were as good as the people he worked with.

Used _to work with._ He reminded himself. The paperwork was finalised this afternoon. It’s what he should be celebrating. All he could think of were the mistakes he made during the creation of the contract he just escaped.

The bottom of his third glass found him sooner than he would like to admit. A taxi was a no-go, not after the last one nearly crashed because the driver couldn’t keep his eyes off his phone.

Ben had to keep his wits about him, so he limited his current activities to people watching and more wallowing in self-pity. There were a few people here that were worth noting. Some out on a date, like the two in the booth at the very back, who were doing things that were _not_ meant for the public, a group of lawyers, who clearly just finished a day of stressful work, and various others littered around the cozy bar.

His attention was dragged to the front of the room as two people walked in. _Probably on a date_ he thought.

He watched as the girl saw someone that she knew and gently pulled her date to him. When they reached him, the two men kissed, causing Ben’s brain to spit out _not a date then, thank god._

_Wait. What? No, bad Ben!_

Why should he be thankful? It’s not like he knows her. Shaking the thoughts off, his eyes roamed around Maz’s Palace again before they returned to the trio.

The girl was doing several shots of clear liquor while her two male companions just sat and watched with both amusement and mild concern. She then made her way to the stage, struggling slightly with what looked to be a very, _very_ old cello in a beat-up case.

_This should be entertaining_ . He couldn’t help but smirk to himself. _What will come first? Will she fall off the stage? Or will someone drag her off to silence the awful ruckus she’s about to make?_ Either way, he settled in for what he knew would be a shitshow.

The girl finally made it to the stage, where she proceeded to tune her cello in a few, simple strokes, rosining her bow in a half-assed yet practised manner. Taking in a baited breath, she introduced herself as ‘Rey’, before her sweet, sweet voice filled the room.

Her song was beautiful, the notes she sung were crisp and while she clearly hadn’t performed in front of an audience for a while, she was near perfection. 

Yet, it wasn’t her voice that had the slightly intoxicated former star so enraptured. No, it was her skill with the cello. He knew that it was the musician that made the music, not the instrument, but the full sound coming off the strings shouldn’t be possible for a cello in such a poor condition. With varnish peeling off the discoloured wood and strings that had certainly seen better days it was a miracle that any sound was coming out at all.

But it was, and it was beautiful.

He all but lost himself in her music, listening as her serene voice carried across the cantina, song reaching its climax.

If the girl’s facial expressions were anything to go by, she too was lost in the song. Eyes shut as her fingers worked effortlessly to play the ascending scales that aided her voice.

To say that Ben had ever heard something as raw and beautiful as that would be a lie.

_Except for that one song,_ he thought, _that someone sent in._

He remembered that. The day Snoke all but threw a poorly-recorded track onto his desk. It took some time, but Ben managed to re-create the song. If he listened close enough, he could have _sworn_ that h _e_ could hear similarities in what the girl was playing to the girl on that recording.

_It's not like that matters, Ben, that’s all in the past now._

Lost in his own head, Ben only just tuned back in to hear the final note of the song, the low C of the old cello rang through the room, echoing. Until, of course, one of the girl’s companions cheered out and started clapping. That started a tidal wave of applause.

The strange girl got a whole variety of praise, from modest clapping all the way to wolf whistles that were only just appropriate. Red-faced, the girl that remained a mystery to him took her seat with the two guys she was with earlier.

Not wanting to get caught staring, Ben turned his attention back to his half-empty glass, reminding him of why he was here in the first place.

He couldn’t stay there any longer. No matter what he sacrificed to get there, he couldn’t do it anymore. All the harsh words from Snoke, side glares from people in the office, the rift that just kept getting larger between him and his parents, he sometimes wondered why he stayed as long as he did.

Handing in his resignation notice had been like putting the final straw on the camel’s back. Months of talking with the best lawyers he could find, searching for ways to end his contract without taking away his ability to play music outside of his own home.

When the document detailing his departure made its way into Snoke’s hand, calling him livid would be underselling it by a long shot. Ben knew he was the most valuable client Snoke managed and that his departure would be a hard hit for the company. He was even prepared for the threatening of his ability to play music, threats of legal action being taken.

What he did not expect was for Snoke to openly threaten his family if he left. His old boss stood so close to him as he threatened to bury his family under debt that he could smell his rancid breath, feel it on his face.

Ben didn’t react until Snoke told him he’d hurt them. Physically.

So Ben did what he thought was the most rational thing in the world. Although it improved his mood as he left the building, it was the reason for the heartless smile that was reflected up at him from the bottom of his glass. 

Thinking he’d had enough of wallowing in his own misery, Ben paid for the drinks before grabbing his black coat and walking out of Maz’s, not missing the concerned glance his surrogate aunt threw him from the other side of the room when she thought he wasn’t looking.

Brisk wind greeted him when he walked outside, whipping around him and stinging his eyes as he walked to his car. About to open the door, he heard someone scream his name.

A voice that sounded _extremely_ similar to that of the girl that performed earlier.

***

Rey’s legs were shaking slightly - okay, shaking quite a bit, enough that she wobbled a little when she reached her seat.

“Holy _fuck_ Rey.” Poe never really was one for subtly. “That was fucking amazing, I had no idea you could sing like that.” He shot a sly grin in Finn’s direction before continuing. “Ya know, I would totally go out with you, purely from that performance. Alas, I am tethered to another.”

“You’re also gay, Poe.” Finn deadpanned, looking at Rey as if to say ‘you see what I have to put up with’.

“Right. That might be a s _light_ complication.” He replied, speech slightly slurred. He nearly knocked over his drink as he attempted to gesture and emphasise his point.

“Okaaay, that’s enough alcohol for you. Guess I’m going to be the one driving tonight.”

Quickly moving the drink out of his sulking boyfriend’s grasp, Finn turned to Rey.

“You did great, peanut, I’m glad you went through with it.” Pride was written over his face, but Rey couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

“What’s the matter, Finn?” About to speak, Rey cut him off. “And don’t give me some bullshit ‘I’m fine, you’re just drunk’ response. I still have my wits about me.”

Finn sighed down at the table, looking at Poe, who was currently enamoured with the creases on Finn’s jacket, taking a long pause before speaking.

“He’s here.” 

_Well that’s real specific. Way to play the pronoun game, Finn._ Her face must have said it all because he elaborated quickly.

“Kylo Ren is here.” _That_ got her attention.

_“What?_ ” She hissed, moving so close to Finn that their faces were almost touching. _“Where?_ ”

Instead of replying, he gingerly gestured to the bar, where a few people were scattered about the bar. She managed to zero in on the figure he referred to as Kylo Ren, the bitch who stole her music, not to mention her self-esteem and confidence.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Used to work near him, and though he didn’t come out of his office often, you never forget a face that the whole world doesn’t get to see.”

To say it was weird seeing him in an every-day setting without the mask he was never seen without would be a _slight_ understatement. It made him seem… normal, almost… human. Well, as normal as you could get for someone dressed in all black that barely fit on the small barstool.

Anger rose up in her chest, ruining what should have been a joyous end to a stressful evening. Desperately trying to cling to the last few shreds of happiness, Rey turned back to their little table.

“It doesn’t matter” She lied through her gritted teeth. “I’m over it.” Finn’s disbelief could not be more obvious, however, Poe remained blissfully unaware of the tension stewing around them. He had even managed to find himself a few extra drinks and was now overdramatising a tale of one of his piloting adventures.

Rey was only half-listening, her mind occupied with other thoughts. Thoughts of Kylo Ren. However, even through her hate, she had to admit that he was rather attractive. From behind at least She couldn’t help but hope that he was hideously disfigured, perhaps with a receding hairline, if only to make her feel a bit better. 

She hadn’t touched her drink since she returned, and the alcohol in her system was slowly dispersing, making her thoughts a little more coherent. A thought made its way into her head.

“Finn.” She said, not caring about the disgruntled look Poe sent her for interrupting him. “How long was Ren here?”

She had clearly stumbled upon something that he didn’t want to know if his body language was anything to go by. Finn all but curled in on himself, making it harder for Rey to hear him when he finally said about the same time they got here.

“... And you just let me sit here, unknowingly, while the man who dashed my hopes at making it as a professional musician is ten meters away?” Her voice rose in pitch as she finished her question, staring incredulously at Finn.

“Well you were so nervous to perform as it was, and- and I didn’t want to put any more stress on top of that. An -”

“It’s okay Finn.” She felt stupid now, he just wanted to help. But his sweetness did nothing to quell the anger, the hate, that she felt towards the man.

_Fuck it._

“You know what, I’m going to go give that little shit a piece of my mind.” Finn looked like he was about to protest, but Poe beat him to it.

“Well there he goes.”She turned around before cursing under her breath. Sure enough, Kylo Ren was leaving the cantina. “Go fuck him up Rey-Rey.” He called out behind her

“I’ll be back.” She told them before standing up, any protest falling on deaf ears, as she stalked out of the cantina.

It was freezing outside. Coming from a hot desert, Rey was always a little more sensitive to the cold than others. But no matter, she pressed on. Once her eyes found Ren, yelled out.

“Hey. HEY YOU!” Getting no reaction, Rey decided to make her greeting more personal.

“KYLO REN!” That made him stop dead in his tracks.

***

That name. How, in the everloving name of all the gods that ever existed, did she know _that name_.

Ben slowly turned around, hand leaving the door of his car, as he took in the person who somehow knew the name of his alter ego.

The first thing he thought was _great, another fan thinks they’ve found the elusive Kylo Ren._ It wouldn’t be such a long shot, he had been approached by people asking if he was Kylo Ren before. He would always shrug them off.

But this girl, she said it with such authority. Like she was certain like she _knew_ it was him. Another thing that he noticed just a second too late was the pure, blazing fury in her eyes. Definitely _not_ something that he saw in the eyes of his regular fans.

Before Ben could even try to access his car, the girl, _the one from before_ his brain supplied, had her fingers pointed accusingly in his face. He opened his mouth in an attempt to ask her who the _hell_ she thought she was when she spoke, her sweet, melodious voice tainted by anger.

“How fucking _dare you._ You think you can just come here and what, take whatever you want. Like you fucking own it?” 

If he was completely sober and had a little more of his wits about him, he would have noticed that she was leaning in with each word. Alas, he did not. And that little lapse in judgment caused him to, rather than attempt to defuse the situation so he could _leave_ , he leant in too.

“I don’t know _you,_ or what the _fuck_ you’re talking about.” He stared at her, daring her to make another move. That did not sit well with her. If anything, it seemed to spark more anger in her, and she continued her rant, eyes not leaving his.

“Of course you don’t know, I’m sure you’re completely innocent and had _no_ involvement when you _stole my song_.”

Now he knew she really _was_ crazy. He hadn’t stolen anything from anyone!. Ben grit his teeth.

“Look, lady, I don’t kno-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” The _nerve_ of this girl. “And my name is _Rey,_ not _lady_ . And do _not_ look at me like that. You know exactly what you did.”

Her voice got lower as she got closer. 

“Why don’t you enlighten me.” He hissed.

“You stole. My. Song.”

Suddenly he knew why her voice sounded like the one on the recording. Because it _was_.

***

Rey didn’t know what to expect when she finally confronted Ren in the car park. The denial wasn’t too surprising, after all, who would openly admit to stealing something from such a lowly bar-entertainer like her?

She didn’t expect him to be so… visually appealing. She also didn’t expect him to level with her, meet her every advance. 

But what she really did not expect was the look of utter disbelief, pain and regret that broke through his otherwise masked features when she finally addressed him stealing his song. But the pain in his eyes was quickly swallowed up by raw, powerful anger.

She didn’t think that they could get any closer without butting heads, but Ren proved her wrong. He was so close that she could taste the whiskey on his breath as he spoke again.

“That. Was _not._ Me.” 

Maybe it was the alcohol in her system, or the euphoria she felt after completing her first live performance in months. It could also be blamed on the fact that Rey had not been with someone in about the same amount of time, and the electricity that seemed to be flowing around the two of them was suffocating.

Maybe it was simply the look in his eye that caused her to do something she never thought possible of herself.

Rey grabbed the corners of his dark jacket and pressed her lips to his.

Her brain caught up with her actions quickly though, and she pulled away after three seconds of contact. 

The distance she created between the two allowed her to see his pupils expand rapidly, watch as his Adam's apple bobbed, not with nerves, but something else.

Rey could feel her own heart rate speed up as blood made its way to her cheeks.

“I- I’m so- _hmpf_ ” She didn’t get to finish her apology as he pulled her back to him, lips flush against each other.

Caught up in claiming his mouth with her tongue, she barely noticed as he flipped their position around, pressing her back against the cool metal of the car while supporting her head with one of his hands.

Her hands found a perch in his hair as they continued to explore each other’s mouths, neither one giving into the other.

Rey then remembered that breathing was required to live and broke the heated kiss.

Heaving breaths mingled in the cold as they stared at each other, his hands on her neck and on her waist, hers wrapped up in his long, soft hair. He seemed to search her eyes, looking for the right words to say. 

Finally, he settled on “come home with me?” Which surprised her. What surprised her even more was her meek utterance.

“Yes.”

Disentangling themselves from one-another, Rey walked around to the passenger side of the car, still unsure about _what_ was going on. 

The first thirty seconds of the ride was silent, until Ren, in what looked like a moment of vulnerableness, placed one of his larger hands on top of hers.

Looking straight ahead, he quietly spoke.

“Call me Ben, Rey.”

Rey smiled softly, light blush once again coating her cheeks, although she didn’t know why. “Okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one's a little shorter, but I hope you like it :)

When Rey initially came to, she noticed how soft her sheets felt. She must have put way too much fabric softener in because, while they weren't the cheapest pair out there, the sheets Rey had bought weren't top-grade stuff.

Knowing she had the day off, Rey wriggled into the bed, snuggling into the warmth next to her. As her consciousness left her and she fell back into a peaceful slumber, Rey could almost swear she felt something move next to her, a light, happy noise escape from it. She ignored it, feeling far too at ease to question anything.

The next time Rey woke, she was much less disorientated. Two seconds of fluffy happiness quickly evaporated as she opened her eyes.

This is definitely  _ not _ her room.

For starters, it's far too big. So is the bed she was in. Everything around her is way too different.

Lifting her upper body up from the mattress, the doona slips from her shoulders, exposing her bare skin to the warm air in the room. Rey looked down and, sure enough, she is  _ not  _ in her pyjamas. A thick blush creeps across her face as she realises she isn't wearing  _ anything _ and the events of last night dance across her eyes.

The bar. 

Her performance.

The argument.

The kiss.

The tense drive, where she had told Finn and Poe that she would get herself home, thankfully. Otherwise, her phone would be blowing up about now.

And the night.

A smile slides across her face as she recalled precisely  _ where  _ her impulsive kiss led to. Rey wasn't typically one to revel in any of her sexual encounters, often too embarrassed to, but  _ fuck _ . Last night is not something she will ever want to forget.

Thinking she's spent too long staring up at the ceiling, Rey, still beaming, turned over to where she thought Ben would be laying. Disappointment sparks in her heart as her eyes meet an empty, cold bedside, no traces of the man except for small wrinkles in the sheets. A loud bang followed by a curse erupted from a room close by, jogging Rey out of her sullen state as she realises where Ben is.

Taking a long moment to enjoy the smooth comfort of the silk bed, Rey pulled the doona off herself, fully expecting to be hit by a wave of coldness. To her surprise, the only thing that graced her was a small, barely noticeable temperature difference.

_ Lucky bastard must have a working heating system. _ Rey herself was not so fortunate.

Her eyes swept over the room, looking for her clothes, so she didn't have to greet Ben stark naked. 

_ Although… _

No. Rey was  _ not _ going to do that. 

Looking around for a few seconds, Rey's eyes land on a large T-shirt and pair of shorts neatly folded with a note on top that read  _ thought you might need something to wear ;) _

_ What a cocky tosser  _ Rey thinks without any real bite.

Shrugging on the T-shirt, Rey gained a new appreciation for their height difference, the black,  _ figures _ , shirt reaching just below her knees. She wasn't even going to try making the shorts fit.

Now decent, Rey made her way out of the bedroom, taking her time, appreciating the apartment in the daylight. It was beautiful, homey even. There were a few pictures scattered about the hallway. Something she didn't get the chance to last night…

_ He was kissing her so wantonly, and the door wasn't even unlocked yet. It's not like she was complaining, although the door handle was starting to become an uncomfortable pain in her lower backside. _

_ She felt more than saw as his hands left their purchase on her neck and dug around in his pockets, pulling out the keys to the apartment door. Mouths still attacking one another, Ben managed to open the door and shut it swiftly, pushing her up against it once more. _

_ Feeling contempt with the layers of clothing that separated them, Rey yanked Ben's black jacket in an attempt to remove it, but to no avail. Instead of assisting her in her effort to de-cloth them, Ben just laughed softly into her mouth, pausing to rest his head on hers. _

_ Eyes boring into each other, they stayed like that, the only noise between them was the ragged breaths they each took. _

_ Getting more and more frustrated by the distance between them each passing second, Rey made another attempt to remove Ben's jumper, albeit a little more slowly this time. However, she was still met with the same result. _

_ Ben had no shame in the laughter that bubbled from his lips that time. Incredibly vexed, Rey retaliated in a fashion not unlike before, lunging as best she could, being close to him as she was already, and ravaged his mouth with her own. Meanwhile wrapping her legs around his waist, granting her his  _ full  _ attention. _

_ Needless to say, clothes were lost far quicker after that. _

Finally reaching the kitchen, Rey took the chance to take it all in.

It was large, the size enhanced by the fact that it openly connected to the living and dining room, with only a bench to separate it from the former and a small arch to separate from the latter. Finally, her eyes find what she's searching for.

Ben was standing there, humming something under his breath, a bowl and whisk in his hand. His hair was messy, sticking out from all angles, and Rey couldn't help but think that she had something to do with that. Happy with the scene in front of her, Rey just watched. Leant against the doorway, she could see every little move he made.

She stifled a laugh when he tripped on his own feet and the bowl jerked, a splash of batter escaping onto the bench. As he went to wipe it up, he tripped again. On  _ what _ exactly, Rey could not tell. 

The third time he spilt batter was due to him knocking the bowl over. Batter flew up into his face, and Rey let a laugh slip through, finally alerting him to her presence.

He spun around at the sudden noise, and Rey laughed even more at his face. Bits of the batter he was making covered half of his face, dripping slightly as it met his chin. The look on his face, one of pure embarrassment, caused Rey to burst, uncontrollable laughter spilling from her lips.

She made her way to the pancake-mix soaked man, lifting her hand and flicking a little bit off his nose, smiling all through it.

Understanding that she was not going to ridicule him, Ben smiled sheepishly, running a hand along the back of his neck.

"Finally decided to join the land of the living I see" He teased.

Rey simply laughed in response before taking the batter still on her hand and wiping it on the clean side of his face. Ben raised an eyebrow before wiping a hand down his face and rubbing it all over her's. 

She stared up at him in shock before digging her hand into the bowl, smashing her hand all over his chest, letting the batter seep into the fabric. After all, that's what aprons are for. Mischief glinted in Ben's eyes, and Rey knew she was going to pay for that.

_ Bring it on mister. _

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Ben grabbed the bowl and threw some of its contents at her. Mouth agape, Rey halted her movements. She watched as panic flickered over his features as he processed what he just did.

Not giving him time to ruin the moment with some simple apology, Rey launched herself at him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she started scooping chunks of pancake mixture into her hands. As Ben hit the sink with the force of her attack, she rubbed the mix through his hair, watching with smug satisfaction as it dripped down his face.

"Good morning to you too."

***

Ben could not believe that this was real, even as he stared up at her perfect face. Who knew that he would meet someone like her.

His disbelief grew as she laughed again and smushed the mixture all over his face. She paused, taking her time staring down at her masterpiece of now unusable pancake batter before leaning down and capturing his lips with hers in a kiss he readily returned.

They stayed like that for what felt like a forever that wasn't long enough, he pressed up against the bench, hands keeping them balanced. At the same time, Rey fished handfuls of his messy hair, legs still tightly wrapped around his waist.

When they broke apart for air, she rested her forehead against his with an overjoyed smile that matched his own.

"Were you making pancakes?" Rey questioned, looking around at the mess they managed to make.

The batter, while mostly concentrated on them, was also covering quite a few of the kitchen's surfaces. The fry-pan Ben set out earlier was the only thing that made it

"I was trying to make you a nice breakfast."

"Kinda like an unofficial first date?" While her tone was joking, Ben sensed a small amount of hope and vulnerability in her question.

"I mean if you're into it?" The pure grin she gave him was answer enough.

She disentangled herself from him, and Ben found he missed the contact.

"Let's try making breakfast again, hmm?" 

He hummed non-committedly in response.

As she walked away, he noticed for the first time what she was wearing. Ben decided he could definitely get used to seeing her in his clothes.

It took them about 45 minutes, but together they made a decent amount of poffertjes, because, as Rey says,  _ they're like baby pancakes but better _ , and Ben, for some reason, had a poffertjes pan just lying about.

Breakfast conversation was light and peaceful until Rey brought up the whole reason why they met in the first place.

"You are Kylo Ren?" Ben winced outwardly at the hostility in her tone.

" _ Was _ " He corrected. "Yes, I was Kylo Ren." Rey was clearly confused at what he meant so he clarified. "I handed in my resignation letter yesterday. I've been under Snoke's thumb for too long, and it cost me too much. So I got out."

He looked to her, expecting disbelief, or maybe pity if she did believe him. Instead, he saw understanding. Then his mind twigged with a memory of what she said last night.

"He got to you too, didn't he? That's why you came storming after me last night." She smiled bashfully when he reminded her of how she managed to get his attention. 

"I'm sorry about what he did. Snoke is not a good person at the best of times. If I had known that you hadn't signed your song off, I would never have used it."

Rey nodded. 

"I believe you."

Ben, sensing that they were done with that topic, broached a subject he had been avoiding for the duration of the morning.

"Are… are you free Saturday night? There's this really nice restaurant that I thought you might like to go to. It has great food, and the waitstaff are really nice and…" He trailed off as he realised her was rambling. He looked down in embarrassment

_ Way to go _ he thought,  _ now she's going to assume you're a bumbling idiot who just spurts of random things and can't control hi- _

"I'd love to go to dinner with you, Ben. Saturday works fine." 

It seemed that he asked her out to dinner at the right moment, as, not a second later, her phone went off.

***

Rey walked over to where her phone was blaring Fall Out Boy, pulling it out from the pile of clothes near the door. Ben got up and took their dishes from the table to the kitchen as she answered.

"Hey, Finn."

"Rey," His voice was near frantic. "Are you okay? I know you said you'd make your own way home last night. Still, you never showed up and, yes, I know that you can look after yourself. Still, when you weren't here in the morning, I started to worry. You didn't answer any of my texts which is so unlike you -" Rey lifted the phone away from her ear to check and, sure enough, seventeen new messages from Finn and two from Poe.

"- And we don't know what happened after you left Rey. What did you do to Kylo Ren?"

She paused, moved her head to look Ben in the eye, before answering.

"I slept with him."

"You  _ WHAT _ !" She winced and pulled the phone away from her ear while noting with smug satisfaction the pink that tinged Ben's cheeks as she said that.

"Okay you are coming home right now - actually scratch that, we are picking you up, Poe's tracked your phone. We'll be there in 30 minutes and do  _ not  _ leave." Finn hung up before she could tell him that Ben could drive her home.

_ Always so overprotective, never likes any of my boyfriends. _ Rey rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, she felt a sturdy pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind and breath tickle in her ear.

"Who was that?"

"Just Finn" she responded. "He's gone all overprotective big brother on me and is coming to pick me up."

She could feel Ben pout against her neck as she gave him news of her impending departure.

"How long till he arrives?" His breath ghosted down her neck, sending chills through her spine.

"30 minutes. Why?"

"I think I know a way to pass the time if you're up for it? I do recall a promise about a certain bench needing to be fulfilled?"

Rey's only response was to whip around and drag him back down to her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! That's all I'm going to write for this story, I hope you guys enjoyed.  
> I think I'm finally going to start a long fic, I have the idea all sorted out, so stick around for that if you like my work?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think! I've got the next chapter all written out too so it shouldn't be more than a couple of days before I upload that.  
> Hope you enjoyed. Stay safe, love you guys


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